Vellore awaits attention from govt on unexplored tourist potential

The brochure mentions only a handful of places such as the historic Vellore fort, Amirthi zoological park, shared by both Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts, and the Yelagiri hills. It also lists the Sripuram Golden temple, a place for pilgrimage, and Vellore Institute of Technology and Christian Medical College — medical and engineering institutions — as tourist destinations.

With the passage of time, only a few now know that the district has an abundance of historical places. Vellore also has some locations that are under the control of the Archeological Society of India (ASI). The district facilitates trekking in the Amirthi forest area.

Tamilvannan, a numismatist and founder of Facebook page “History of Vellore”, said, “The district is dotted with many historical sites which are yet to be explored by many. We handed over a booklet of such sites to the tourist officer who has forwarded it to officials in Chennai. But that was the last we heard of it more than a year ago.” Tamilvannan is also known for conducting heritage walks once in three months in Vellore.

Under the Smart City project, officials are planning to conduct a light and sound show in the Vellore fort, though experts wonder why the immense tourism potential in and around the town has not been highlighted.

In Yelagiri, the hilly terrain offers attractions such as boating in lakes, trekking and a market to buy souvenirs. However, what remains a mystery is, “Tribes around Yelagiri and Amirthi hills avoid interaction with locals in the plains and only forest officials are aware of this. According to officials, though the tribes refuse contact, one or two might come down to the plains to purchase necessary items. However, they prefer to be left alone,” Tamilvannan added.

Trader Shyamlal, who has spent more than 70 years in the town, said, “The government fails to realise that tourism can be a money spinner in addition to creating jobs for locals. When others utilise all their resources to highlight tourist attractions, Tamil Nadu might be the only state that accords low priority to it. Yelagiri conducts summer festival but the location is ideal for winter festival as well similar to that in Ooty and Kodaikanal.”

For the history buff, officials said, “Existing historical structures like the dilapidated memorial and the tombs of Raja Desingh and his queen near Ranipet will be interesting. The nawab of Arcot Sadathulla Khan along with British defeated Raja Desingh and during his funeral, Desingh’s wife Ranibhai committed sati.”

Not only historical sites, Vellore also has geographical attractions. “The geological wonder of balancing rocks at Apukkal near Vellore is something to behold. However, if the government is serious about utilising the tourist potential of these rocks, it should try to preserve it since there are only two rocks remaining and the others having been removed by stone quarry contractors,” Tamilvannan added.

Vilapakkam on the Arcot–Kannamangalam road has rock-cut caves and Jain beds, while Vallimalai near Vellore has rock-cut temples, remnants of a Jain settlement, and inscriptions dating back to the time of Rajaraja Cholan’s grandfather Aruneedhi Chozhan.